Last December was when all of the “one-legged Thomas Markle” drama happened. Thomas magically needed a foot – no, a leg! – amputated less than a year after he moved to the Philippines with his son, and instead of sharing his medical drama with his family, he called up the Daily Mail’s Caroline Graham to announce it. Thomas kept Graham fully apprised of every medical update and the Mail ran multiple stories a day about “why hasn’t the Duchess of Sussex flown to the Philippines to visit her amputee father??” Meghan responded brilliantly, by contacting the American embassy in the Philippines and sending a handwritten letter to Thomas. Not only that, she asked an American consulate official to document the receipt of the letter to Thomas. That was the end of it from Meghan’s side, and she scared the bejesus out of her toxic father and the Mail. The Mail still hasn’t published any part of Meghan’s letter because she would sue the f–k out of them again, like the last time they published a letter she wrote to her father. Graham did write a first-person account of her deeply inappropriate relationship with Thomas, so there’s that. At the end of the day, Thomas’s scheme with the Mail failed horribly and it took them over three months to figure out how to exploit Thomas again. Behold, Toxic Tom is dating his much-younger Filipino nurse. Caroline Graham got the exclusive, of course.
Meghan Markle’s estranged father has found love again with a Filipino nurse 35 years his junior. Retired Hollywood lighting director Thomas Markle, 81, says he feels ‘blessed and beyond happy’ to have found joy again after suffering years of anguish after his daughter allegedly ‘dumped’ him after her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.
Mr Markle, who split with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland when Meghan was just five years old, met new love Rio Canedo, 46, as he recovered from life-threatening surgery to remove his left leg below the knee last December. Rio, a mother of two grown children, had no idea who Mr Markle was when she first met him in mid-December of last year after he checked into the rehab hospital where she works in Cebu, a city in the Philippines that Mr Markle and his son Tom Jr, 59, moved to in January 2025.
Mr Markle, who has never met his son-in-law Prince Harry or his grandchildren Archie, six or four-year-old Lilibet, nearly died after doctors were forced to amputate his left lower leg after a massive blood clot blocked the supply of blood to his foot. He spent four days in intensive care followed by weeks in hospital before being moved to a specialised rehabilitation unit in another medical centre.
This week he invited the Mail on Sunday to spend time with him and his new love and said he expected a backlash from the ‘Sussex Squad’, the notoriously cruel online trolls who support Meghan and Harry, but added: ‘I know some people will say hurtful things but I don’t care. I want to talk about this because I never thought I would ever be happy again. I want people to know you’re never too old to find peace and love. There’s a lot of negative things going on in the world and if my story can give a little hope to one person then I’m happy. The haters will hate but, to be honest, I don’t give a damn. Life is for living. There’s nothing more important in life than love.’
Mr Markle, who is currently suffering from pneumonia, said: ‘I finally feel safe and well-cared for. I’ve got pneumonia but I’m not feeling sorry for myself because I have Rio taking such good care of me.I hardly watch the news. I live in a world where people are kind to each other. The nurses and doctors here in the Philippines are wonderful. People here don’t have all the worldly goods we have in the West but they respect and care for older people…I was sad about Meghan for so long but now I finally feel like I can laugh again. Life is good. Yes, family is important, but how long can you live in pain? Sometimes you have to move on. I have moved on.’
He said: ‘I’ve been through tough times which makes me appreciate the good times. I finally at peace. I was in pain for so many years about what happened with my youngest daughter Meghan. I could never escape the stories online and in magazines and newspapers. I was constantly hounded by paparazzi. Over here I lead a quiet life. I am grateful for my health, for Rio and for the care I am receiving. I love the Philippines and I am enjoying my life.’
Mr Markle wants to take Rio on holiday to America once he is well enough: ’I would love to take Rio to Los Angeles and show her all the places in Hollywood where I worked for so many years.’ Would he drive to Montecito? He laughs. ‘No, I would never do that. What’s the point?,’ he said. ‘I’d love to see my grandkids. It makes me sad that King Charles has only met Archie and Lilibet once or twice. How strange it is that me, over here in my little world, and him, the King of England, are both in the same boat. We both can’t see our grandkids. I love Meghan. She is my daughter. But I don’t know how much time I have left and I want to spent what time I have being happy. Rio makes me happy.’
I should have known that they would dust off this disgusting old man right now, when the British media seems to be in a full-blown panic about the Sussexes’ Australian trip. What do you want to bet that Thomas has been easily persuaded to suffer some new medical emergency specifically timed for Harry and Meghan’s Australia trip? The “pneumonia” is definitely foreshadowing, correct? I still find it notable that Toxic Tom needed his foot/leg amputation the same week that the With Love, Meghan holiday special came out, by the way. It’s crazy to say that, but everything about that whole storyline was super-suspicious. Anyway, I wish this horrible man would just keep Meghan’s name out of his mouth. But whatever. This whole thing is just asinine.
Meghan Markle's estranged father Thomas, 81, finds love again with Filipino nurse 35 years his junior https://t.co/v37FkPptMq
— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) March 28, 2026
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, screencaps courtesy of GB News and 60 Minutes Australia.
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- Thomas Markle speaks out for the first time about he's heart surgery and the moment he first spoke to Prince Harry on 'Good Morning Britain'. Broadcast on ITV1,Image: 375263468, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WENN does not claim any ownership including but not limited to Copyright, License in attached material. Fees charged by WENN are for WENN's services only, do not, nor are they intended to, convey to the user any ownership of Copyright, License in material. By publishing this material you expressly agree to indemnify, to hold WENN, its directors, shareholders, employees harmless from any loss, claims, damages, demands, expenses (including legal fees), any causes of action, allegation against WENN arising out of, connected in any way with publication of the material., Model Release: no, Pictured: Thomas Markle, Credit line: /Wenn/Avalon
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- Thomas Markle speaks out for the first time about he's heart surgery and the moment he first spoke to Prince Harry on 'Good Morning Britain'. Broadcast on ITV1,Image: 375263477, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WENN does not claim any ownership including but not limited to Copyright, License in attached material. Fees charged by WENN are for WENN's services only, do not, nor are they intended to, convey to the user any ownership of Copyright, License in material. By publishing this material you expressly agree to indemnify, to hold WENN, its directors, shareholders, employees harmless from any loss, claims, damages, demands, expenses (including legal fees), any causes of action, allegation against WENN arising out of, connected in any way with publication of the material., Model Release: no, Pictured: Thomas Markle, Credit line: /Wenn/Avalon
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Such a dirty, nasty man.
Right 🤢
Again..I will say that Meghan’s father has been a HUGE problem for Meghan her WHOLE ASS LIFE & I’m glad that she & Harry were BOTH able to escape toxic family members.😡
Tom does not know what love is
I wonder how long it will take for the younger woman to walk out. Yeah right tommy wants to see his grandchildren. He never bothered with them including the older ones. Tom is trotted out to try to deflect all the talk about Andrew and the royals protecting him
In a few weeks that pneumonia will be full blown life support with last rights (anointing of the sick) being given, and some how it will all be the Sussex’s fault. The timing of this nasty man making headlines again shows the leftovers desperation.
“Love.” LOL
This old man stopped being the father who helped raise Meghan the minute he sold her life to the tabloids. I wish for him what he helped engineer for Meghan.
Gross
Oh yeah, and it’ll be her father is right in the Philippines on death’s door and she’s only a few hours away in Australia. Why can’t she just hop on a flight and come to see him? How terrible she is to be earning money, and holding business meetings while her father lies near death.
Of course no mention will be made as to why she hasn’t spoken to her father in 8 years, nor any of his various threats on Australian television itself about holding interviews until he bullied her into speaking to him.
No way would tom and r i o see those kids. Restraining order would be indicated. Hey tom if you had not gone on tv to trash your daughter you would have seen those kids
Selling out to the media is not the answer
Hopefully he can just focus on his new love and leave Meghan and her family alone.
He was hounded by the paparazzi and media so, naturally, he invited DM for an exclusive and a shoot as if anyone was waiting with bated breath to hear what he had to say. Absolutely no one cares and no one would remember him, but for his constant whining and attention seeking. He forever desperately wants Meghan’s attention, too, but that’s not happening. He was sad about her for so long? Please, he is only sad that his schemes and manipulation tactics keep failing. Pathetic all around.
Well then let him stay happy with his new person. Fine. So can we stop getting cozy exclusives from Caroline Graham then?
Is that woman really a nurse? It’s a violation of professional ethics in the Phillipines for a nurse to date a patient.
Ooh that’s interesting. She’s also old enough to know better if she has two gen children. Something is so off about this story.
She is wearing a wedding band, so unless he is a passort bro and married her to stay in the country
This story just says he “found love” with a person who works in his rehab center – pretty low on details. Doesn’t say what her job is or whether she shares his feelings. So … this has all the substance of cheap toilet paper and I expect it’ll dissolve if given even the gentlest poke of interrogation. (Maybe I’m just crabby today, but I wish all the irritating, attention-starved old white men in the headlines would just go away.)
This woman is his nurse who’s willing to accept $$$$ to go along with the girlfriend story.
We’re not that gullible.
Exactly. She’s getting a payday for this. Wonder how much he promised her?
I must be a bad, bad person because I let out a shriek of laughter at “pneumonia.” Ok, maybe he really does have pneumonia and that’s not a good thing, but this whole story seems like such a setup.
The “Devoted Caroline at Tom’s Bedside” came off as seriously creepy, so let’s try substituting “Devoted Nurse” instead. And the story continues – will he survive pneumonia? Will the DM provide an all-expenses paid holiday to LA for Tom and Rio so she can wheel him and his oxygen tank through his old Hollywood haunts? Stay tuned.
As The Stomach Turns.
Man. If I speak. Whatever to this entire article. It’s beyond hilarious to me and that’s all I am going to say. Sussex squad does not care about him or his girlfriend. He still can’t help get digs in at his daughter and try to act like him and King Charles are in the same boat. They are not. I mean I can’t stand TREX, but one of you sold out your child for money and then called her ungrateful, lied about her repeatedly, and then lied on her mama.
so is this Caroline trying to extricate from the tangled web she wove, the story still sounds fishy, why not move on from these markles stories ?
I’m supposed to believe this lady is Tom Sr’s “new love” and that she’s choosing to blissfully share a single room in a rehab facility despite them just meeting and her being already married (judging by the clearly visible wedding ring).
Nah, not buying it.
She clearly “fell in love” with this rancid old man twice her age. It’s true love, dontcha know.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 You’re right! My bad
I could never escape the stories online and in magazines and newspapers. I was constantly hounded by paparazzi. Over here I lead a quiet life.
This sad sack ran round spewing malicious BS about his daughter, SIL and ex wife since 2018 for media coin. He repeatedly gave the most hurtful interviews to Piers Morgan, Danny Rotton, Tom Bower, Lady Colin Cambell and Caroline Graham. Meghan sent him a 5 page letter telling him to stop his hurtful lies and conduct only for him to flog that to Caroline Graham as well. Just completely shameless. Every time he gives a print interview it drips with self pitying crap and blames his daughter for rightly going no contact with someone who disgraces the role of fatherhood. Deborah Ross in her Times article castigated him when he last popped up in December about him leading the charge against his own daughter by selling nasty lies about her for coin. Fathers should be loyal, protective and generous towards their off spring NOT joining forces with their tormentors to make their lives hell.
So if I understand this, Scammy’s new mummy is younger than her?!?! LOLOLOL all day long!!
I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked the woman to pose with him and made the rest up. Markle is just me, me, me in this trashy syrupy rant. What does that woman get out of all of this? Sounds like a free nurse to me.